Antonio Forcione Live!

From the moment Antonio walks on stage to rapturous applause, a humble smile on his face, guitar in hand, you know you are in the presence of a true artist and are in for an evening with a touch of magic. And as the first deep, warm, intense notes float through the auditorium, you can hear a pin drop and feel the sonic spell of his guitar weaving through the room. As one critic put it “Imagine an Italian hybrid of Michael Hedges, John McLaughlin and Django Reinhardt … ferocious, rampaging, controlled power, meticulous precision and clarity of expression … astonishing musical personality”

Antonio’s impressive 20 albums and extensive international tours in festivals and theatres – both as a solo artist, in duo and with his acoustic quartet – have brought high critical acclaim from as far as Australia and Hong Kong to the Caribbean, Russia and Europe. He has the ‘hands of a tarantula and the heart of a lion‘, as another critic so expressively phrased it!

Antonio’s awards line the shelf above the piano in his west London home, a far cry from his humble beginnings in a small village in southern Italy from where he worked his way through art school, eventually performing on the streets of London to win the Covent Garden Street Entertainer of the Year Award. If you listen closely to his compositions you can feel the nostalgia for the village, the olive groves, the dusty streets and the first loves of a young boy.

Tonight Antonio will be joined be very special guest Giorgio Serci. Giorgio Serci is an award-winning guitarist, composer, arranger and educator.

He has performed internationally and recorded with the likes of Ivan Lins, Basia, Kenny Wheeler, Martin Taylor, Sylvain Luc, David Garrett, the LPO, BBC Concert Orchestra, Berlin Philarmonie, Julian Lloyd Webber, Franco Cerri, Paolo Fresu to name but a few.

‘A slick and impressive show’ – ★★★★★ British Theatre Guide

‘One of the great acoustic guitarists’ – ★★★★★ The Guardian

‘Passion, Grace and Fire’ – ★★★★★ The Times

“You have a beautiful touch” – Sir Paul McCartney

“Possessing the skill, flair and stunning technique of Paco de Lucia and John McClaughlin, with the looks of a low rent middle-aged gigolo” – Omid Djalili

“That is beautiful” – Stevie Wonder

“Forcione creates a whole spectrum of sound that you never thought possible from an acoustic guitar. He brings the guitar to life in a way I’d never seen or heard before, extraordinary. He is unique” – Bill Bailey, comedian